How to Buy Vintage Rugs on eBay

I’ve been a BIG fan of vintage Oushak rugs for the better part of a decade now… even if you don’t know what I’m referring to, you’ve definitely seen them. They’re frequently shown in stunning kitchens – usually perfectly worn in and in lovely muted colors. I actually got my first vintage runner at the Randolph Street Market – at over $300, it was a HUGE investment for my 22-year-old self. But these one-of-a-kind rugs offer the perfect lived-in touch to an otherwise fresh, new space. And can offer the perfect splash of color to an all-white or grey kitchen!

My favorite use for them is in entryways, bathrooms, and kitchens – that’s where I’ve used them myself. The PROBLEM is these beauties can run a pretty penny – often costing over $1000 (or $300-500 for a 1.5×3′ doormat!)

There are a number of shops and online retailers who sell them and they make the process very easy, curating beautiful, quality pieces for you. But I’ve always found the best prices for mine on eBay! I’ve never spent more than $150 on a doormat and I once bought a large rug for around $350 or so (you can see it here). And the best part is 69% of items on eBay ship for free. Many of them are available for auction, but if it’s a price I like and I can just hit “buy” – I do. #winning

We all know eBay is amazing for finding great deals and unique finds – I posted a few weeks ago about getting a designer pendant for our master bedroom on eBay for over half off! But I wanted to walk you through my best tips for finding great vintage rugs…

I picked two up for #SchmiedskiGreystone and now use them at the new place!

Now I use it in the kitchen one in our new powder room:

And I use the entry one in our kitchen, but here’s a fun little hack – flip the rug over for a different look. I have our kitchen mat flipped over because I like that it looked more blush but here’s the actual front side:

And here’s how the more muted blush side looks in the kitchen:

So here are my few tips to shopping for vintage rugs on eBay:

– use key terms to define the style like “oushak” or “ushak” or “Turkish” or “kilim”

– include color adjectives: either specific colors or words like “muted” or “bright”

– for size, it’s best to be vague because vintage rugs do not come in your standard 8×10 sizing… so don’t expect to find one that is EXACTLY those dimensions! Use adjectives like “large” or “runner” or “door mat.”

For example…

searching “vintage oushak runner” gives me these results:

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and “large kilim rug” gives me these:

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and “oushak door mat” results in these (almost all under $200, some under $100):

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And there are dozens of more pages of results where those came from! Stuff sells rather fast and new listings pop up every day, so if you’re not finding the exact size or color you want, check back regularly!

I hope this helps! Happy vintage hunting! 🙂

This post is sponsored by eBay but all of the opinions within are my own.